The present invention relates to reflective devices, and, more particularly, relates to reflective devices that are attachable to an individual""s clothing in order to increase the visibility of the individual during both daytime and nighttime.
In many recreational and work activities, the safety of the individual undertaking or engaged in the activity is a primary concern. The safety of the individual is a more critical concern when the activity is undertaken or engaged in during the dusk, twilight, or nighttime hours. Recreational activities such as walking, running, bicycling, and skateboarding often occur at dusk or nighttime when visibility is minimal. Such activites may occur on athletic tracks and fields, sidewalks, and frequently adjacent or on busy city streets. Visibility is obviously crucial if the individual is to avoid injury, or even death, resulting primarily from being struck by an automotive vehicle. Because of the enormous changes in society over the last several decades which include increases in shift work, home occupations and businesses, leisure time, and a stress on physical fitness for all ages, it is not uncommon to see walkers, runners, skateboarders, rollerbladers and bicyclists, from the spritely young to the vigorous elderly, involved in these pursuits from sunrise through sunset, and even into the nighttime hours.
Moreover, work and employment activities are also conducted from the sunset and twilight hours through the night and to sunrise. Policemen, firemen, and other public safety personnel are on the job 24 hours a day, and may be as active at night as during the day. While each profession uses a recommended flashlight, and sometimes safety flares, occasions arise where both hands must be used for the task at hand and thus a flashlight cannot be properly utilized. In addition, highway construction crews, road crews, surveyors, sanitation workers, to cite just a few occupations, often work at night adjacent to, or on well traveled, busy highways. Signal flares, large fluorescent signs, and electronically flashing signs are commonly used to warn approaching motorists of a construction area or highway accident. Jackets or vests incorporating fluorescent material or having fluorescent strips of material sewn on or affixed thereto provide some visibility for the workers, but for vehicles traveling in excess of 50 or 60 miles per hour, the amount of disseminated light and the radius of visibility of the light is inadequate, and actually provides the driver with little advance warning that his or her vehicle is rapidly advancing upon a human being located in a very vulnerable position adjacent or on a highway.
In order to enhance the safety and increase the visibility of individuals involved in activities that extend into the nighttime hours, a variety of devices and systems have been employed.
The prior art discloses a number of signal-type devices for warning individuals and drivers that they are approaching a human being located adjacent or on a roadway or for locating individuals that are lost.
The Simmons patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,078,103) discloses a reflecting signal device that can be worn on either wrist to apprise traffic of turns or intended maneuvers. The Simmons device includes a pair of arcuate plates that are connected together by spring hinges. Each plate has affixed thereto an arcuate glass plate preferably of reflective or prismatic glass. When worn on the wrist of the driver, the driver can signal his or her intentions by holding his or her arm out the vehicle""s window, and then moving or waving the arm in the appropriate manner to provide advance warning to other drivers.
The Taylor patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,730) discloses a portable, hand held signal device that includes a handle and two plates pivotally connected along one edge. Each plate has received a fluorescent paint treatment for increasing the visibility of the device during both daytime and nighttime hours.
The Tucker et al. device (U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,197) discloses a versatile outdoor sign in which letters or messages can be created by rearranging a plurality of chips within a mesh framework. In order to make the message more eye catching, the chips can be treated with a reflective or fluorescent coating.
Nonetheless, the above-described devices do not maximize the visibility of and individual at nighttime from an adequate safety distance, nor do the above-described devices provide for an increase in reflective or fluorescent surfaces or surfaces areas to thereby enhance the fluorescence or reflectivity of the device and, thus, the visibility of the individual using or wearing the device.
The present invention comprehends reflective signal devices, and, more particularly, comprehends a reflective device that is attachable to clothing articles word by an individual and that conforms to the movement of the clothing articles and diffuses reflected light to provide for greater visibility of the individual.
The reflective signal and warning device of the present invention includes a reflective and adhesive patch that is removably mountable to any portion or area of an individual""s clothing article, such as a portion or area of the coat sleeve, collar, or any suitable part of a coat, jacket, vest, or sweater.
The reflective and adhesive patch includes a frame that has an adhesive substance impressed, formed, or coated on the frame""s rear surface. A peel away paper strip covers the adhesive substance, and can be quickly removed for exposing the adhesive substance and pressing the adhesive substance against the clothing article for mounting the patch to the clothing article. The patch is preferably made from a pliable fabric or cloth material that allows the patch to bend, flex, and conform, to some degree, to the movements of the clothing article. Mounted to the front surface of the frame are a plurality of panels, and the panels are secured to the frame preferably by wires whereupon each row or column of panels has one wire extending through that respective panel row. Each wire is secured to the frame adjacent the border or periphery of the frame. The shape of the panels could be in almost any geometric form from simple rectangular, cylindrical, and circular forms to, for example, complex icosahedrons. The panels are coated or painted with a reflective, prismatic, or fluorescent material to maximize the visibility of the panels, and, furthermore, the panels are capable of some slidable, back and forth movement on the wires to further diffuse any reflected light and thereby enhance the reflectivity and visibility of the panels.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a reflective signal, safety, and warning device that is easily and quickly mountable to and removable from any type of clothing article such as a hat, helmet, vest, coat, or pants.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a reflective signal, safety, and warning device that enhances light reflectivity by utilizing panels that incorporate numerous geometric configurations to achieve maximum light diffusion,
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a reflective signal, safety, and warning device that includes reflective panels having geometric configurations that break up and diffuse the light reflected from the panels for producing a continuous twinkling effect and thus increasing the visibility of the individual who is wearing the patch.
These and other objects, features, and aspects of the invention will become clear from a reading of the detailed description of the invention, the accompanying figures, and the appended claims.